The present invention relates to an assembly including a pouch, a product to fill the pouch, and a fitment that is applied to the pouch through the method of ultrasonic sealing.
It is known in the art to seal fitments on conventional pouches by heating or by ultrasonic sealing. The ultrasonic sealing technique involves the use of high frequency mechanical vibrations transmitted through thermoplastic parts to generate a frictional heat build-up at an interface. It is known to make ultrasonic seal fitments, but the sealing is carried out on an empty pouch; the pouch is formed, the fitment is sealed on the pouch, the product is filled, for example by aseptic filling, and the pouch is finally sealed to obtain the assembly to be stored. The problem with such a procedure is that the manufacture of the assembly takes too much time and the line of production is too complicated, because it includes one more step in the process and results in a more expensive process. Furthermore, there is a risk that the sealing of the fitment is not safe enough.
The aim of the present invention is to have an assembly including a pouch and a fitment, wherein the production time is shorter than in the prior art technique, the line of production is simpler, and the fitment is sealed for a safer storage, i.e., the risk of the seal being breached is minimized or entirely avoided.
The invention relates to an assembly including a pouch including a film material sufficiently treated on a portion of an inside surface to avoid a sealing on the inside surface, the pouch being produced without any fitment or opening device and being completely sealed after filling; a product filled in the pouch; and a fitment including a thermoplastic polymer or blend thereof and being applied to the pouch through the method of ultrasonic sealing after filling and sealing of the pouch.
In one embodiment, the pouch is treated with a lacquer or film layer. In another embodiment, the fitment further includes a plug or snap-on type closure and the product is withdrawn through the fitment with a spiking device. In another embodiment, the fitment futher includes a screw-off type closure and inside the fitment is a tamper-evident part that is pre-punctured and sealed together with the film material. In yet another embodiment, the film material has high barrier properties. In another embodiment, the film material includes one or more of a plastic film, a laminate film in the for of a semi-rigid pouch, or a soft pouch.
In another embodiment, the product includes one or more of a liquid and viscous food or pet food, clinical nutrition products, milk-based products, any kind of juice, fruit products, mineral water, still drinks, soups, sauces, dressings, or mayonnaise. In one embodiment, the product is filled under fresh, aseptic, UHT, pasteurized conditions, or in a sterilized packaged. In another embodiment, the fitment further includes a body and a base including a plurality of concentric grooves. In yet another embodiment, the pouch includes at least three layers having different thicknesses, materials, or both. In still another embodiment, the layers include one or more of polyethylene, polyamide, EVOH, or a combination thereof.
The invention also relates to a process for the manufacture of an assembly including: filling a pouch with a product, sealing the pouch, transporting the pouch on conveying means to an ultrasonic device, charging the device with a fitment, moving the device downwards onto the pouch, pressing the fitment against an anvil, transporting by the sealing device a set amount of energy into a base of the fitment, sealing the fitment on the pouch, moving the sealing device upwards, and freeing the pouch with the fitment.
In one embodiment, the sealing device creates energy directors to guide and focus the energy to specific areas of the pouch during the sealing process. In another embodiment, the sealing is carried out on a Branson device such that the energy set free for the sealing process can be controlled.
The invention further relates to a process for manufacturing an assembly including: filling a pouch with a product, sealing the pouch so as to contain the product, and sealing a fitment to the sealed, filled pouch. In one embodiment, the fitment is sealed by ultrasonic sealing. In another embodiment, the process further includes transporting the sealed pouch to a zone for sealing the fitment thereon.